Four Plus One Equals Six
by silverwings.vs.the.world
Summary: Husband and wife, Emma and Julian Blackthorn, are happily living their life with their three children. However, what happens when another baby is thrown into the picture? Should they even be having a baby at 35? Aren't three kids enough? No shadow hunting, etc, average family AU
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the first chapter of Four Plus One Equals Six, I hope you like it. I plan on posting once a week, on Friday? Maybe? I don't know, I'll figure out a schedule eventually.**

 **Characters, etc, are all Cassie Clare's, you know the drill**

 **Enjoy**

 **Chapter 1:**

It was her lunch break at school, and it was the first time she had had any alone time for weeks. Between teaching disrespectful and vulgar high school students the importance of physical education all day, keeping tabs on her three kids, making sure her husband is happy (in a totally non-sexist housewife kind of way. There's nothing wrong with prioritizing her husband), and finding the time to simply take a shower, alone time has been a rare and exoctic concept to her for the fifteen years she's been a mother. Not that she didn't love her kids and husband and job, but God it was hard to find time to even go to the bathroom without being interrupted by her husband or cellphone.

Being that it was her lunch break, and being that her husband would, for once, not be bringing in something for the two of them to share between her desk in the phys ed office, she finally had time to herself. This should be a time for celebration for her; she's finally alone and able to sit in peace for 30 full minutes. But, no. Instead she is sat by herself in one of the only single stall staff bathrooms in the school, fretting about her future.

Surely she can't be pregnant. Not again. She'd already pushed three, albeit beautiful and worth every painful hour, children from her lithe body. She can't be expecting another one. Can she? She's been on the pill for years, aside from the times she and Julian specifically made the decision to begin trying for a baby. While she knew the pill wasn't always 100% effective, it had never failed her and Julian. Hell, they've been going at it since high school and only had to have used condoms a few times before she got herself a prescription, and they'd never had a pregnancy scare. Ever. Not even their first time on the beach, when contraception was the last thing on either of their hormonal teenage minds.

 _I guess there's a first time for everything,_ she thought begrudgingly to herself while she sat on the closed lid of the toilet, waiting for her phone to go off and announce the moment of truth.

Really, she and Julian were too old to be new parents...again. They were both 35, and their biological clocks were ticking, and they were happy with their three beautiful _teenage_ kids. They were young parents to begin with, having they first borns (yes, her first _two_ were twins) when they were 20, then welcoming their third-and supposedly final-child when they were 22. Now the kids are in highschool and middle school, surely adding a newborn to the mix would only cause-

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Emma stood from her reverie on the porcelain throne and held her breath as she looked at the test waiting for her on the counter.

Pregnant.

 _Fuck._

Well, she'll definitely have news to share with Julian when she gets home tonight.

* * *

As she pulled into the lengthy drive-way of her and Julian's large Los Angeles home- it was a mansion really, but Emma liked to consider herself a humble and modest person-she noticed a lack of cars in the driveway. It was shocking considering her kids and husband were usually home far before she was from school, but nonetheless she breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad to have some extra time to herself in order to construct a plan of action to break the news to her husband.

She could always wait, she figured that's what most women did-waited until they were sure. But she's never been one to keep things from her husband.

Her Julian.

They were more than just husband and wife. They were best friends-Soulmates- and soulmates didn't keep secrets from one another. Even when she was unsure of whether or not she was pregnant with her twins, Tiberius and Livia, she told her then boyfriend now husband, of her speculations, and he was there with her every step of the way. He was there when she took her first test, at her first appointment, and at all consequent appointments as well.

The only reason she didn't tell him about her current concerns was because she didn't want to stress him out about nothing when he had a major deadline with the publisher he worked with. Julian was a well known illustrator for children's books, which is what allowed the Blackthorn family to live lavishly, yet humbly as well. Their oldest, and only son, was autistic and had a hard time comprehending certain things without visual aid, so Julian took it upon himself to illustrate whatever his son needed extra help with. Ty took these illustrations to school with him, and his teacher found the images and immediately contacted her husband who knew a guy who knew a guy who worked at a children's publishing company. And so was born Julian Blackthorn, children's book illustrator who draws for those struggling with autism in their family.

She sighed as she unlocked her door to her home, her husband was truly a saint. Not only was he a successful artist, he was a wonderful and loving father, and a perfect husband. She really did luck out.

She greeted the family's cat, Church, with a pat on the head once she entered the Blackthorn home and headed straight to the master bedroom on the second floor.

It was simply decorated in whites and blues and silvers, but it was her favorite room in the large home. It housed their steel framed four-poster bed and dozens of pictures of her family. There were multiple wedding pictures scattered on the walls and counters, there were various pictures of the family trips they've taken, and then there were her favorites: pictures of her and Julian and their newborn babies. The first was of course with two little dark haired babies, wide awake in Emma's arms with both her and Julian gazing down at their little miracles; and then her third, Drusilla, who was asleep in her father's arms as Emma laid asleep in the photograph.

Emma's eyes began to well with tears. To think she could be adding another picture to the collection. She placed her hand on her still flat and well toned stomach, thinking of the baby that could be added to the family. She loved her family more than anything, and adding another little person would only allow the love to grow.  
She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt two familiar arms wrap around her midsection. She mustn't have heard the door open and the sounds of her husband with the thoughts clouding her mind.

"Honey, I'm home," Julian whispered in her ear as he placed kisses down her neck. She quickly blinked away her tears, and turned around in his arms and placed a chaste, yet loving kiss on his lips.

"Hi baby, I missed you when I got home today. Even the kids were gone," she pretended to pout and feign loneliness, "I had this whole mansion to myself."

Julian laughed, "I'm sorry, I had to run and grab some groceries for the dinner I was planning tonight and figured I'd pick up Dru from school so Ty and Livvy could hang out with Kit after school since they've been begging all week." He leaned down to press his lips to hers not satisfied with the chaste kiss she left him and pressed her to him, running his tongue along the seam of her lips. She allowed him in and ran her fingers through his unruly, beautiful dark locks. God, she loved this man.

She pulled away and said teasingly, "Well a text would've been nice, but I hear dinner is in order, and I can't be upset with the promise of food.  
Julian grinned, "Then I'll get right on it, m'lady. By the way, the twins are still out with Kit, but they promised to be home in time for dinner, and Dru is in her room working on homework so she doesn't miss _Project Runway_ tonight because she missed it last week which was a 'tragedy in and of itself.'"

Emma chuckled at the thought of her slightly dramatic fourteen year-old and gave her husband another kiss before shooing him off to make dinner.

Once he left she began devising her plan, with the goal of breaking the news some time before they went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this is going up later than I said, I completely forgot. Nonetheless, I am here with an update.**

 **Hope you enjoy Chapter 2!**

 **Disclaimer: all credit goes to Cassie**

 **Chapter 2:**

Emma came down the stairs not too long after Julian left to make dinner. She really only needed to change into her sleep clothes, which consisted of sweatpants and one of Julian's _San Francisco Art Institute_ T-shirts, as dinner in the Blackthorn family was nothing if not a casual occasion.

She stepped into the kitchen and immediately began to salivate with the aroma of basil, garlic, parmesan, and tomato permeated through the air. She sat at the kitchen island and decided to partake in one of her favorite pastimes: watching her husband cook.

"So," she started, gazing surreptitiously at her man's behind, "What's on the menu for tonight, chef."

"First of all, Em, stop staring at my butt, you'll burn a hole in it at this rate," he replied lightheartedly with a chuckle, "Second of all, I thought I would make a Blackthorn family favorite of homemade spaghetti and meatballs."

Emma let out an audible moan, unable to suppress the sexual attraction she felt for Julian as it flared up in her body, as well as for the dish he was making.

It was true what he said, homemade spaghetti and meatballs were held high on a pedestal in their household. Emma and Julian had it on their first date, at their wedding, and for every anniversary. "I don't understand how you do it, Jules. You're so amazing at everything you do. I mean, look at you. You're making spaghetti and meatballs from flour and ground beef despite the fact that you have a major deadline you've been stressing about, and you still find time to make sure the twins and Dru are happy and you _still_ find time for your wife who can't even cook you dinner." By the end of her small digression, Emma breathing had picked up and she felt that she was on the edge of tears. Damn, the minute the accepts the fact that she's pregnant the hormones kick in at full force.

Julian spun away from what he was doing at the stove the minute he began to hear the distress in his wife's voice. Where did this all come from? Sure he was busy, but his family would always come first, and besides, he didn't mind cooking and taking care of the family. These were the people he loved more than life itself.

He rushed to Emma's side and pulled her to his chest, "Hey, shh, no tears. Where is this all coming from? We all know you're a shitty cook, and we agreed when we were young that if we ever got married that I would do all the cooking," He teased.

Emma shifted further into Jules' chest and sniffled, now more embarrassed than anything. She couldn't believe she just broke down over absolutely nothing.  
"I'm sorry Jules, I'm just not feeling well, tonight."

He pulled back from her slightly and placed his hand on her forehead, "Baby, you should've told me earlier. Is it your stomach? Headaches?" He asked, concern overtaking his face immediately.

"Actually," She said, "I wanted to talk to you about something. I found out something really important today at school and-"

Before she could finish, she heard the tell tale signs of her daughter coming into the kitchen. She never did have a knack for light feet. Dru stopped immediately when she saw the scene before her. "What's wrong with mom?" she asked, looking to her father for answers.

"Darling, now is not the time. Did you finish your homework?"

Dru rolled her eyes exasperatedly, "No, I just came down to grab a bottle of water." She grabbed what she needed from the fridge and quickly retreated, not wanting to get in the middle of what was happening between her mom and dad.

"Sorry about the interruption, what were you saying, Em?"

She just shook he head in response, putting a smile on her face and wiping the few tears that managed to escape, "I'll tell you after dinner. We'll have a full hungry house soon."

* * *

Shortly after Dru went back to her room to finish her homework Ty and Livvy burst through the front door pulling Kit along behind them. They barely stopped by the kitchen to tell their parents that they were taking Kit basement to play video games, and, oh yeah, that he was staying for dinner too.

Emma chuckled at her oldests' antics as she watched them shuffle toward the basement. She turned back to her husband who had since resumed cooking dinner. He has now moved on to rolling out the pasta using the seemingly medieval instrument he pulled out from one of the cupboards. "Well, Jules, since the kids are occupied for now, I am going to head to the bedroom to work on some lesson plans and maybe get a little rest seems I've been feeling a little off."

Julian gave her a loving smile over his shoulder, "I think that's a perfect idea, a little rest would do you well." Emma came around the island where she was sitting to give his a peck on the cheek before she left for their bedroom.

Once there she pulled her laptop out of her work bag and propped herself up on some pillows, so she could work on her lesson plans for the next week or so. Actually working was her original intention, but she found herself having a hard time focusing on cardiovascular health and the advantages to running, and found herself thinking about how she would tell her husband her news. She thought about how she told him the previous two times. It was done without much fanfare, as he was there from the literal start- before she had even taken the test. He was there to hold he hand while they waited for the test results, and as lucky as she was the first two times to have Jules right next to her, it really did limit her imagination when it came to announcing pregnancies. She let these thoughts swim through the mind, and one thing led to another and she found herself on Pinterest looking for inspiration.

It felt like she had been scrolling for hours by the time she had finally found an a idea she liked. She didn't want to do something to simple, as her first two "announcements" were simple, but she didn't want to do anything too extravagant because, let's be real, she wasn't a very extravagant person. What she found was perfect. She checked the time on her watch and noted that she had at least another 45 minutes before dinner would be done, so she pulled herself out of bed and began searching for the items she would need for her reveal.

She first went to her work bag and found the pregnancy test with the pink plus sign she had taken earlier that day. She then set about finding a long thin box, cardstock, and colored pens.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alrighty, here's chapter three!**

 **I know my updates have been a little sporadic, but I can confidently say that you can expect updates on Saturday (At least it's Saturday in Wisconsin) from now on :)**

 **Without further ado, read on...**

 **Chapter 3:**

By the time she was finished she had just enough time to hide the box and hurry downstairs back to the kitchen to help her husband finish up. She may not be able to cook, but she can at least set the table and plate food.

She padded into the kitchen in time to see her husband pull the cheesy garlic bread out of the oven. "Why hello husband, I've never seen such a sexy image," Julian turned around and gave her a knowing smirk that quickly fell off his face when she said, "Oh yeah, you look okay, too." He rolled his eyes at her, but could barely contain his grin. He really did love his wife. "Okay miss 'I'm a comedian who can emasculate her husband anytime she wants' why don't you get the plates out and start plating the food and take them to the table. I'll call the kids while you do that." Emma nodded with smug smile and began with her assigned duties.  
"Hey mom," she felt before she heard her daughter as she barreled into her, in which Emma barely managed to keep the two plates of pasta in her hands from falling to the floor. "Are you feeling better? You looked pretty emotional before when I came down." She looked up with expectant and worried eyes, "You are alright, right?"

"Of course I'm alright, work is just stressing me out a little at the moment, don't worry," Emma told her youngest with a warm kiss to the forehead, "Now why don't you help me bring the food to the table." Dru nodded eagerly in response and ran off to grab the remaining plates.

The table was set, and the kids and her husband were happily eating and enjoying each others company.

"So, how was school everyone," asked Julian as he began twirling pasta on his fork, ever the host, while Emma began shoveling pasta into her mouth. She was eating for two afterall.

"Today in Biology we had to dissect a frog," began Ty with a frown and knit eyebrows, "I didn't enjoy my experience. Why would someone want to do that to such an innocent creature. Don't get me wrong, I get it's for biological research and stuff...but also... I don't."

Livvy and Kit gave him a knowing smile since they were in the same class as him and had to endure Ty's endless ranting for 50 minutes. "What matters, though, is that you did it, and you won't have to do it for a while," Livvy told him with a playful push on the shoulder.

"Yeah, that would be good if the next unit after dissection wasn't sexual reproduction," Kit muttered under his breath with a grimace.

"I don't understand what you people find so unsavory about sexual reproduction, Kit," Ty butted in matter-of-factly , "All it is is the science of how _we_ and other animals come to be. Nothing more, nothing less." Emma and Julian laughed at their oldest son's comments while his siblings and best friend just looked at him with looks of both awe and slight disgust.  
"One day you'll get it, trust me," Kit said in reply to his friend's scientific reasoning for unashamed sexual education.

Ty rolled his eyes, but let Kit's comment fly, and he continued to eat.

Dur looked between the older kids at the table, not being able to contribute to the conversation. "Well," she started when she realized her siblings wouldn't continue regaling their day, "my day was pretty good. I felt pretty confident on my math test, all we did in History was take notes, and yeah, pretty boring stuff. Oh! Except for the fact that the cute boy in my English class asked to be my partner for the research project, and I obviously said yes!"

Julians eyes widened at this comment and immediately put his fork down. "A boy, huh? Is he a nice boy? What's his name? Who are their parents?" And so the interrogation begins.  
Emma giggled to herself and placed her hand on her adorably overprotective husband's thigh. He looked over at her with a pleading look, and she took over. "I think that's great honey, once you start working on the project in depth out house is open." Julien looked over at her and guffawed.

"What?"

"What do you mean what? This is her partner for school, not a hot date."

"Yeah, but I know how high schoolers are. We were high schoolers once."

"Baby, they're freshman, they'll be fine."

"But-"

Julian was interrupted by Livvy clearing her throat. "As much as we love to watch you two argue over this pressing matter, I think we'd much rather finish our dinner and discuss something besides the safe-ness, or no so safe-ness, of Dru having a boy project partner."

Everyone began to eat once again in comfortable silence. Emma leaned over to her husband and whispered "I win" slyly into his ear.

* * *

"So you're totally okay with Dru working one-on-one with this boy we don't know," Julian asked over his shoulder as he began preparing for bed, while Emma sat on the bed watching him.

"If you mean by 'okay' with having her work with this boy you mean okay with her working with her project partner, then yes, I am okay with that. Look," she said, getting up from her seat and walking over to her now shirtless husband and wrapping her arms around his waist, "baby, she's a freshman, this is her first experience with a boy, nothing that bad can happen. We're not going to let them alone in the house. You or I, or both of us, will always be here, and they won't be in her room by themselves. They'll be in the living room." She pressed a kiss to his back hoping to reassure him.

She felt him release a tense breath and allowed his shoulders to sag. "Okay, fine, I believe you."

"Good," she said triumphantly, "Now if that's all we have on that topic, I have a present for you."

"A present," he raised his eyebrows in surprise, "am I forgetting an important date or something?"

Emma rolled her eyes, as if he, the perfect husband, would ever forget an important date. "No, I just have something I want to give you. Get in bed, I'll bring get it." Julian looked at her skeptically but followed her instructions and got under the covers, eagerly awaiting his wife's arrival.

She came back carrying a thin rectangular box in her hands accompanied with a small letter-looking thing. "So, I know it's not a special day or anything, but I think-I hope-I hope, you'll be happy with it." She looked at him shy as she handed him the card first.

Julian began to open it slowly, as if scared something was going to jump out at him. He looked down at the card and read _YOU+ME+TIBERIUS+LIVIA+DRUSILLA=6._ His eyebrows knit together, not quite understanding what was going on. "Babe, I know math isn't your or my forte, but I'm pretty sure you know how to add simple numbers."

"Okay, I thought that may confuse you. Afterall, you are an artist, so I thought I'd get you a little something else too." She nervously handed him the box and waited in bated breath as her began to open it.

He listed the lid of the box fully expecting something like a new paint brush, or maybe even a watch, but what he saw completely shocked him.

He looked up slowly, "You-you're pregnant?"

Emma gave him shy smile and a shrug, "Surprise."

A tooth bearing grin overtook his face, and Julian immediately tore off the blankets covering him and knelt before his wife to kiss her still flat stomach. "Oh my God, Baby, we're going to be parents!"

He picked Emma up and spun her, causing her to giggle uncontrollably. "Babe, we're already parents. Three times over."

He finally put her down, shaking his head in giddiness, "Doesn't matter, we're going to be parents to a wonderful little baby."

He gently pushed Emma onto the bed, pressing kisses all over her face. "I love you so much," he crawled lower to her stomach, "And I love you very much my little baby."


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay...so remember that time I said I would update every Saturday...? So, yeah, apparently that didn't happen.**

 **Lesson learned from this experience, I am the most unreliable person ever. Literally, I already have some chapters pre-written, and I am still so unreliable I couldn't update. I'm so sorry! I'll try to be more consistent! School ends in May, so hopefully I'll step up my game.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 4:**

Emma woke to the stunning view of her husband's head resting on her stomach, clutching her for dear life. Throughout all her pregnancies Julian had always grown more protective of her and their unborn baby.

It was adorable.

She loved it.

Any other time she would have said that she is a strong independent woman who didn't need her husband's 24/7 overprotectiveness, but when pregnant, she didn't mind the extra attention.

She carded her fingers through his hair, admiring the way his dark curls wrapped around her fingers and then slipped between them. Truly mesmerizing.

His sleeping figure began to stir, and he smiled up to her when he saw his beautiful _pregnant_ wife. "Good morning baby," he said, pressing a tender kiss to the smooth skin of her stomach, "Good, morning beautiful" He pushed himself up to Emma's level and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Good morning, my gorgeous husband," she replied with a giggle. The happiness he felt about the baby was infectious. To think she ever doubted whether or not he'd be happy about the news. "I'm so glad it's Saturday, I don't think I'd be able to go to school and focus. Now that I know everything is alright, I can't contain my excitement."

Upon hearing this, Julian propped himself onto his elbow, "What do you mean 'now that everything's alright,' was there something that happened early on that I should've known about?" Emma could hear the panic creep into his voice with the thought of not being there for her if something was possibly wrong, which was highly unlikely because her previous two pregnancies had gone without a hitch.

"No, no, nothing like that," she said, quickly cutting his thoughts short, "I was just worried you wouldn't want it. I mean, we're 35, were not that young anymore, and we already have three kids in high school. I wasn't sure if a new baby was something you'd be exactly eager about."

"Oh Emma," Julian whispered as he flipped himself to hover over his wife, "Nothing makes me happier than having you pregnant with _our_ baby. No, we're not in our 20s anymore. Yes, we have three teenagers. Nonetheless, I'm happy-ecstatic. And I can't wait to go on this journey again. We already have a big family, why not make it bigger." He lowered himself down to press a kiss to her lips. "It is Saturday, the kids will surely be sleeping in. Let's get a little exercise in this morning." He wiggled his eyebrows at Emma causing her to giggle, and she pulled him back down to her lips. "That sounds like a mighty fine idea, Mr. Blackthorn"

* * *

Following their rather amorous activities, Julian extracated himself from his satiated wife to take a quick shower and to head down to the kitchen to begin breakfast. Another one of the Blackthorns favorite meals was pancakes in the morning.

While in the shower he couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face. He was going to be a father again. Yeah, Emma had a point, they were getting older, and they surely weren't _planning_ on have anymore kids, but this is all the more reason. His oldests were going to be off to college in the coming years, and pretty soon he and Emma would have been left alone in the mansion they are fortunate enough to call home. Yes, he and Emma could have gone traveling, could've spent life happily with no children in the house, but really, Julian loved the sounds of his children in the house. Ever since he was little he'd always had family with him. Whether it be his siblings, Mark and Helen, or his parents, he always found solace in his family, so it made sense for him to continue the tradition. He knew Emma felt this way too. She never expressed any sort of contempt for having kids so young, or for having to share her husband. She seemed ecstatic, too, so worrying about this surprise is meaningless.

He sighed as he let the hot water flow over his body, he truly was happy. He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower to towel himself off. He then slipped into some sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt. He gave his wife a tender smile as he walked out of the ensuite over to her side of the bed and sat down, giving her hair a soft stroke. "Okay, it's actually time to get up now, Em. Go shower, and I'll have pancakes ready for the family by the time you're out."

Emma's eyes remained closed, but a smile graced her lips at his words. "Okay, I'll be down in a little bit.

With that, Julian left to make enough pancakes to feed and army.

* * *

The pancakes were practically inhaled.

Julian had just set the table, and it was almost as if the kids could sense the fact that they were about to be fed. They flew down the stairs and immediately began piling their plates with stacks of pancakes and drowning them with butter, syrup, and even peanut butter. Emma and Julian barely had the opportunity to sit down and make their own plates before Dru took her now clean plate to the kitchen. She quickly ran up to her mother and father and placed a kiss on their cheeks. "Is it okay if I hang out with Jaime today?" She looked at her parents pleadingly, employing her best tactic against her father: her puppy dog look. She widened her eyes, dropped her chin, and pouted her lips slightly.

Julian was about to agree, and Dru to could tell by the way his lips parted slightly, but then his eyebrows furrowed and he asked, "Who's Jaime? Why haven't I heard of this girl before? Is she new?"

Dru's face immediately went from puppy dog to sheepish, "Well, actually Jaime is a _he_. I told you about him last night. He's my partner for English. He thought we'd work better together if we got to know each other first. You know, get all the awkward stuff out of the way."

Julian was about to say something, but before he could get any words out, he felt his wife's hand on his thigh. He looked at her, and she gave him _the look._ The look that tells him he should stop while he's ahead. "Of course, sweetie" She said, "I think that's a great idea. Do you want us to give you a ride?"

Dru cut a glance over at her siblings who were just finishing their own plates. "Actually, I think Liv and Ty were planning on hanging out with Kit today, and Kit said he would give me a ride."

"So you have this all figured out, huh?" Emma asked with a smirk on her face. Her kids were ever the planners, even is she and Julian were often times left out of their carefully crafted plans until last minute.

"I suppose you could say that," Dru replied.  
"Well, I'm not sure if Kit really wants to cart you around. It's really no big deal if we drive you," Emma suggested, knowing Kit surely had better things to do with the twins.  
"No, mom," interjected Liv, "it's really not a big deal, Jaime's place is on the way to the movie theater anyway."

Emma huffed, her kids don't need her anymore. She pouted, "Fine, it seems like you have this all figured out."

Dru squealed and clapped, "Thank you so much, especially you, daddy." She placed a big kiss to her father's cheek, knowing it was a big deal to allow her to a boy's house that he doesn't know much about. She then turned around and happily plodded up the stairs, her siblings following suit after they dropped their plates off in the kitchen.

"And then there were two," joked Julian as he observed how quickly the table cleared.  
"Three," Emma said haughtily.

"What?"  
"Three. 'And then there were three.' Unless you forgot this one," she said as she took Julian's hand and placed it on her stomach.

Julian leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her lips, "Of course not, how could I forget this one?" He straightened up, and began to eat the pancakes everyone else aside from himself and Emma had been able to enjoy. Emma followed his actions and also began to eating.

After some time of companionable silence and pancake eating, Emma brought up their plans for the day. "So, what are we going to do today? I guess the kids don't deem us cool enough to hang out with anymore." Once again Emma let a pout mar her young face. "Our babies don't need us anymore, Jules. Don't you remember when they couldn't do anything without us?" Emma didn't even realize it, but she had begun tearing up. Damn hormones hit her hard when she's pregnant.  
"Oh, baby," Julian scooped her up onto his lap and swept away the few tears that escaped, "The kids still need us. They're just growing up. Aren't you proud of them. They're maturing so nicely into beautiful young adults. And just think, soon you'll have another little one who will rely solely on you for years. Pretty soon you'll be sick of having to bathe, feed, and clothe a human being after having gotten used to our self sufficient kiddos." His little joke at the end got his emotional wife to smile; he even heard a giggle come out of her.  
She wiped her face and let out a breath, "You're right. They are beautiful and mature, and I'm just hormonal and weepy. I'm sorry Jules, you've got nine months of this to deal with."  
Julian shook his head, "I've done it twice before, I can surely handle a third time."

"I love you, Jules," Emma said, brushing her nose against his.  
"I love you, too," Julian replied, sealing his lips with Emma's.

The two were still lip locked when their three children came down the stairs, ready for Kit to pick them up.

"Ew, OMG. Mom! Dad!" Exclaimed Dru, immediately causing her red-faced parents to pull apart from one another. "You guys can't do that, you're old!"

"Okay, missy," started Julian, "You should know that you're mother and I love each other very much, and kissing is not nearly as bad as it can get-"

"Omg, daddy, you can't say things like that!" Dru's face turned red, as well as Livia's, while Ty remained unphased by the comment.

"Too bad, baby girl, you asked for it."

"I don't know, dad," started Liv, "It was pretty...PDA-y."

Ty rolled his eyes at his sisters, "Once again, I don't see the problem here."

Before either Dru or Liv could reply, they head a honk in the driveway, and the conversation was instantly forgotten, and the three Blackthorns ran to put on their shoes and grab their things before they left.

They hollered their "goodbye"s and "I love you"s from the front door as they were leaving.  
"And then there were three," muttered Julian, as he pressed his lips back to his wife's, resuming what his kids had interrupted earlier.


End file.
